Housing assembly with convertible housing units

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a housing assembly of modular housing units. Adjacent units having a common wall between them may be selectively constructed as two-bedroom units or one may be constructed as a one-bedroom unit and the other as a threebedroom unit. Each unit consists of a kitchen-dining-living rooms section and a bedrooms section parallel to the kitchen-diningliving rooms section. For the two-bedroom construction the common wall is closed; for the one-three-bedroom construction the common wall has a door leading from its living room into one of the bedrooms of the adjacent unit and there is a wall between the two bedrooms of this unit with a bathroom having a bathtub provided for the other of these two bedrooms.

United States Patent Levenson Dec. 10, 1974 HOUSING ASSEMBLY WITH 3,552,075 1/1971 Crump 52/234 x 3,605,354 9/1971 Hodgetts 52/79 x CONVERTIBLE HOUSING UNITS [76] Inventor: Nathan S. Levenson, 1365 Cordova Primary Examiner Alfred C Perham Pmsburgh 15206 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hymen Diamond [22] Filed: Nov. 13, 1972 21 Appl. NO.I 305,700 [57] ABSTRACT Related Us A cation Data There is disclosed a housing assembly of modular I pp housing units. Adjacent units having a common wall [62] P' 'Z f 1971* between them may be selectively constructed as twobedroom units or one may be constructed as a onebedroom unit and the other as a three-bedroom unit. [52] US. Cl 52/79, 5522127338, 552227141, Each unit consists of a kitchen dining living rooms [51] I t Cl Eo4h U02 section and a bedrooms section parallel to the [58] i 169 34 kitchen-dining-living rooms section. For the two- 0 earc 52/35 bedroom construction the common wall is closed; for the one-three-bedroom construction the common wall has a door leading from its living room into one of the [56] References cued bedrooms of the adjacent unit and there is a wall be- UNITED STATES PATENTS tween the two bedrooms of this unit with a bathroom 2,076,403 4/1937 Gcerlings 52/34 having a bathtub provided for the other of these two 2,247,340 6/1941 Webster 52/79 bedroom 2,742,675 4/l956 Robertson 52/238 x 3,550,334 12/1970 Van Der Lely 52/79 5 laims, 6 Drawing Flgures l I. -l:

l 4 E I l 3| l 101 l I l \Z/GJ E: 00 IJ\ u g 00 L95] O &

i 97 le OP I 0 9| Q6 *r- =1, 2Q re. 12 j 21 r H PATENTED on: m 1974 sum 10F 3 Pmunnmwwm 3.852.924

' SHEET 20F 3 FIGA HOUSING ASSEMBLY WITH CONVERTIBLE HOUSING UNITS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the housing art and it has particular relationship to housing assemblies including a number of modular dwelling units constructed on a selected area. It is an object of this invention to provide such an assembly in which the housing units shall be readily adaptable to accommodate occupants whose space requirements may vary over a wide range. It is another object of this invention to provide such an assembly which shall lend itself to ready conversion among one-bedroom, two-bedroom or three-bedroom units.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention a housing assembly is provided typically on terraces of a hill as disclosed in the parent patent but likewise in other forms. The assembly on each terrace includes a plurality of modular units, each unit including a kitchen-dining-living room section and a bedroom section parallel to the kitchendining-living room section. Each pair of units have a common wall between a section, usually the bedroom section, of one unit and a section, usually the kitchendining-living room section, of the other. The bedroom section of each unit has two bedrooms with adjacent bathrooms separated by a wall, one bathroom has a bathtub.

Each pair of units may be constructed as twobedroom units or converted into one and threebedroom units. In the two-bedroom construction there is no opening in the common wall and there is an opening between the two bedrooms of each bedroom section and the kitchen-dining-living room section. In the one-three bedroom construction there is a door in the common wall connecting the living room of one unit an one of the bedrooms of the bedroom section of the other unit and this one bedroom is separated by a wall from the other bedroom of the same section. In addition, the wall between the bathrooms of this section is set so that the bathroom of this other bedroom has a bathtub.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of this invention, both as to its use and as to its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a view in perspective showing a typical disposition of housing assemblies in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmental plan view of modular housing units of an assembly according to this invention;

FIG. 3 is a view in section taken along line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmental view in perspective showing a portion of the passageway for housing units of an as sembly according to this invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a typical two-bedroom module included in assemblies according to this invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmental plan view showing the manner in which two adjacent modules of an assembly according to this invention are formed into a one-bedroom unit and a three-bedroom unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a housing assembly 11 on a hill 13 which typifies the practice of this invention. The hill 13 is formed into terraces 15 and housing units 17 are built on each of the terraces 15. The housing units 17 are formed of abutting single-story modules 19 (FIGS. 2, 5, 6). The walls 23 between succeeding terraces are of approximately the same height, this height being such that the roofs 25 of the units 17 on any terrace 15 are about at the level of the ground of the terrace 15 just above. The units 17 on each terrace 15 thus have a clear view away from the hill 13.

The units 17 on each terrace 15 have an access pedestrian passageway 27. The bases 29 of the units 17 on each upper terrace 15 extend over the passageway 27 of the terrace just below providing shelter for those approaching the entrances 31 of each of the units 17 on the lower terrace. Lighting units 30 may be provided in the bases 29. Each unit 17 includes a patio 33 which extends beyond the base 29, that is the cover for the passageway 27 of the unit 17 on the terrace 13 just below. The patio 33 may be omitted or recessed back from the cover 29. The roofs 25 of the units 17 on the terrace 13 below may thus serve to support the patios 33. The base 29 and the associated front portion of a unit 17 on an upper terrace is supported by the rear wall 32 of the corresponding unit on the just lower terrace. The halfportion of each module 19 inwardly from passageway 35 is set back from the other half of the module (see FIGS. 4 and 5) having wall 34 so that the base 29 of the upper unit merely spans the setback portion, span 36, providing a court having an opening to the sky. For lower-cost units the sheltering base 29 can be modified by recessing the units 17 on the upper terraces so that the front wall 38 rests only on its terrace flush with wall 23 and the passageway 27 is no longer totally covered. In this case the patios 33 can be omitted or, if included, no longer rest on the roofs 25 of the unit 17 just below.

Pedestrian approaches 35 and 37 are provided for for passageways 27. These approaches 35 and 37 are at right angles to the terraces and intersect the passageways 27 at all levels. The approaches 35 and 37 may be enclosed by a cover 40, and heated or cooled, and provided with driven lifts 39 and 41 such as escalators, or belts, or inclines along with those entering or leaving the units may be moved. While the approaches 35 and 37 should preferably be at an angle of no more than about 15 degrees to the horizontal for the comfort of the passengers, the angle may be as high as 30 degrees particularly where the lifts have cabs similar to elevators. One of the lifts 39 may be driven upwardly and the other 41 downwardly or a reversible lift may be included.

The housing assembly 11 includes a facility 5] for parking, recreation and service adjacent a highway 52.

This facility includes multi-level garages 53 and 55 approachable by ramps 57 opening into the different levels. The ramps 57 are housed in a building 59 which has a swimming pool 61 on its roof. A tennis court 63 and other like recreational facilities may be provided on the roofs of the garages 53 and 55. The heating and cooling equipment (not shown) may be in a building 71 near the facility 51. Electrical power is supplied through underground cables (not shown) and the heating or cooling air is supplied through underground conductors (not shown). Water, sanitary sewage and surface water is conducted through underground conductors (not shown). The facility 51 includes provisions (not shown) for disposing of solid waste. Other services are similarly provided.

- Each module 19 of the assembly on any terrace includes two sections; one section including two bedrooms 75 and 77, and the other section including a living-dining room 79 and a kitchen 81. The bedrooms 75 and 77 are back-to-back and have respective closets 83 and 85 having a common wall 87. A bathroom 89 and 91 is associated with each bedroom 75 and 77. Each bathroom 89, 91 includes a commode 93 and 94 and a sink 95 and 96 on the side towards the associated bedroom. A bathtub 97 may be included in one or the other of the bathrooms by selective positioning of a wall 99. For a two-bedroom unit the wall is positioned so that the bathtub 97 is in the bathroom 91 for bedroom 77. In this case there is an open passage 100 between the bedrooms 75 and 77. The kitchen 81 has the usual appliances 103.

The entrance 31 leads into a hallway which has a lateral clothes closet 101 and lateral opening 107 into the kitchen 81 and a direct opening 109 into the livingdining room 79. Each module 19 has a court 111 outside of the kitchen 81. Each court 111 is directly below the space 113 bounded by the patio 33 of the unit just above and the portion of the cover 29 adjacent the patio 33 and is open to the sky. The space 113 may be provided with a permanent or removable transparent or translucent dome or cover 115 and may be heated or cooled as required. With the covers 38 and 115 and the shelters 29 the total assembly can be used even under most extreme climatic conditions.

Two modules may be converted into a one-bedroom apartment 121' and a three-bedroom apartment 123 (FIGS. 2, 6) by positioning the wall 99 so that the bathtub 97 is in the bathroom 75 and providing a closure or wall 125 for opening 100. In this case bedroom 75 of one module is the bedroom of the one-bedroom apartment 121 and the bedroom 77 of this module is added to the abutting module 19 and an opening 127 is provided between the living-dining room 79 of the latter module and the added bedroom 77 forming the threebedroom unit 123. Alternatively, two single closet units may be installed on each side of opening 100 as indicated by broken lines on FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 6 the modules on each terrace are abutted with their living-dining room section and their bedroom sections in the same order. With this construction the third bedroom 77 ofa three-bedroom unit is separated from the bedroom 77 of the two-bedroom section by the living-dining room. An alternative is a construction in which the modules are in abutting pairs in each of which the bedroom sections are contiguous and the living-dining room-kitchen sections are remote on opposite sides of the respective bedroom sections.

With such a structure the three bedrooms of a threebedroom unit are together.

While preferred embodiments of this invention are disclosed herein, many modifications thereof are feasible. This invention is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the spirit of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A housing assembly including a plurality of substantially like side-by-side modular housing units, each unit including a living-dining room and kitchen and a pair of bedrooms parallel to said living-dining room and kitchen, the living-dining room and kitchen of a first unit adjacent to a second unit being contiguous to the bedrooms of said second unit, with one bedroom of said second unit juxtaposed to said kitchen of said first unit and the second bedroom of said second unit juxtaposed to the living-dining room of said first unit, there being a wall between the living-dining room and kitchen of said first unit and said bedrooms of said second unit in which a passage may be selectively provided between the living-dining room of said first unit and said second bedroom, the bedrooms of each unit having therebetween an enclosure extending into each bedroom and having back-to-back powder-room facilities, a facility extending into and serving each bedroom and a bathtub between said powder-room facilities, and relocatable wall means within said enclosure selectively relocatable on the side of said bathtub adjacent either of said powder-room facilities, whereby two adjacent modules may be selectively either two two-bedroom apartments or a one one-bedroom apartment, including said one bedroom of said second unit, and one threebedroom apartment including said second bedroom of said second unit, with said relocatable wall means positioned so that said bathtub is in the bathroom of said one bedroom of said second unit.

2. In a modular housing unit a pair of bedrooms having a common separation therebetween and having, extending from said sepration on each side, an enclosure including back-to-back powder-room facilities, a powder-room facility for each of said bedrooms, and one bathtub and relocatable wall means selectably interposed between said bathtub and the powder-room facilities on one side of said separation or on the other side of said separation, so that selectively a full bathroom may be associated with either bedroom and a powder-room with the other.

3. In the utilization of a housing assembly including a plurality of substantially like side-by-side modular housing units, each unit including a kitchen-livingdining-rooms section and a bedrooms section, each bedrooms section having juxtaposed first and second bedrooms with a passage communicating between said first and second bedrooms, said bedrooms section including back-to-back bathrooms separated by a relocatable wall and serving said first and second bedrooms respectively, the said bathrooms including a bathtub adjacent said wall, a first of said units being juxtaposed to a second of said units with a common wall separating the first and second bedrooms of said first unit from said second unit, the said first and second units being normally each a two-bedroom unit with said relocatable wall on the side of said back-to-back bathrooms nearest said second bedroom and said bathtub serving said first bedroom, the method of converting said first and second units into a three bedroom unit and a one bedroom unit, the said method comprising interposing a closure in the passage between the first bedroom and the second bedroom of the first of said units, relocating said relocatable wall so that it is nearest said first bedroom and said bathtub serves said second bedroom and providing an opening in the common wall between said first bedroom of said first unit and said second unit.

4. The method of claim 3 including the step of providing closets for said first and second bedrooms respectively about the closure as a common wall between said closets.

5. A housing assembly formed of a plurality of substantially like modular units, each unit including a kitchen-dining-living-rooms section and a bedrooms section juxtaposed to said kitchen-dining-living-rooms section, each bedroom section having a first bedroom and second bedroom, a first of said units being disposed side-by-side with a second of said units with a common wall separating the bedrooms section of said first unit from said second unit, said common wall having first means therein to be selectably opened, to afford access between said first bedroom of said bedrooms section of said first unit and said second unit, or closed to prevent such access, said bedrooms section of said first unit having means, providing a passage between said first bedroom and said second bedroom, said passage having therein second means for selectably opening said passageway, to afford access between said first and second bedrooms, or for closing said passageway to prevent such access, said first means being closed with said second means open and said first means being open with said second means closed, a bathroom being associated with each said first and second bedrooms and relocatable wall means being selectively interposed between said bathrooms, the said bathrooms including a bathtub adjacent said wall, said wall being on the side of the bathtub remote from the first bedroom when the second means is open and the first bathroom is in communication with the second bedroom through the passage and on the side of the bathtub remote from the second bedroom when the second means is closed and the first bedroom is in communication with the second unit. 

1. A housing assembly including a plurality of substantially like side-by-side modular housing units, each unit including a living-dining room and kitchen and a pair of bedrooms parallel to said living-dining room and kitchen, the living-dining room and kitchen of a first unit adjacent to a second unit being contiguous to the bedrooms of said second unit, with one bedroom of said second unit juxtaposed to said kitchen of said first unit and the second bedroom of said second unit juxtaposed to the living-dining room of said first unit, there being a wall between the living-dining room and kitchen of said first unit and said bedrooms of said second unit in which a passage may be selectively provided between the living-dining room of said first unit and said second bedroom, the bedrooms of each unit having therebetween an enclosure extending into each bedroom and having back-to-back powder-room facilities, a facility extending into and serving each bedroom and a bathtub between said powder-room facilities, and relocatable wall means within said enclosure selectively relocatable on the side of said bathtub adjacent either of said powder-room facilities, whereby two adjacent modules may be selectively either two two-bedroom apartments or a one one-bedroom apartment, including said one bedroom of said second unit, and one three-bedroom apartment including said second bedroom of said second unit, with said relocatable wall means positioned so that said bathtub is in the bathroom of said one bedroom of said second unit.
 2. In a modular housing unit a pair of bedrooms having a common separation therebetween and having, extending from said sepration on each side, an enclosure including back-to-back powder-room facilities, a powder-room facility for each of said bedrooms, and one bathtub and relocatable wall means selectably interposed between said bathtub and the powder-room facilities on one side of said separation or on the other side of said separation, so that selectively a full bathroom may be associated with either bedroom and a powder-room with the other.
 3. In the utilization of a housing assembly including a plurality of substantially like side-by-side modular housing units, each unit including a kitchen-living-dining-rooms section and a bedrooms section, each bedrooms section having juxtaposed first and second bedrooms with a passage communicating between said first and second bedrooms, said bedrooms section including back-to-back bathrooms separated by a relocatable wall and serving said first and second bedrooms respectively, the said bathrooms including a bathtub adjacent said wall, a first of said units being juxtaposed to a second of said units with a common wall separating the first and second bedrooms of said first unit from said second unit, the said first and second units being normally each a two-bedroom unit with said relocatable wall on the side of said back-to-back bathrooms nearest said second bedroom and said bathtub serving said first bedroom, the method of converting said first and second units into a three bedroom unit and a one bedroom unit, the said method comprising interposing a closure in the passage between the first bedroom and the second bedroom of the first of said units, relocating said relocatable wall so that it is nearest said first bedroom and said bathtub serves said second bedroom and providing an opening in the common wall between said first bedroom of said first unit and said second unit.
 4. The method of claim 3 including the step of providing closets for said first and second bedrooms respectively about the closure as a common wall between said closets.
 5. A housing assembly formed of a plurality of substantially like modular units, each unit including a kitchen-dining-living-rooms section and a bedrooms section juxtaposed to said kitchen-dining-living-rooms section, each bedroom section having a first bedroom and second bedroom, a first of said units being disposed side-by-side with a second of said units with a common wall separating the bedrooms section of said first unit from said second unit, said common wall having first means therein to be selectably opened, to afford access between said first bedroom of said bedrooms section of said first unit and said second unit, or closed to prevent such access, said bedrooms section of said first unit having means, providing a passage between said first bedroom and said second bedroom, said passage having therein second means for selectably opening said passageway, to afford access between said first and second bedrooms, or for closing said passageway to prevent such access, said first means being closeD with said second means open and said first means being open with said second means closed, a bathroom being associated with each said first and second bedrooms and relocatable wall means being selectively interposed between said bathrooms, the said bathrooms including a bathtub adjacent said wall, said wall being on the side of the bathtub remote from the first bedroom when the second means is open and the first bathroom is in communication with the second bedroom through the passage and on the side of the bathtub remote from the second bedroom when the second means is closed and the first bedroom is in communication with the second unit. 